


Red Hood no outlaws

by Peony_Prince



Series: Mr.Sadman Give me a Dream [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Angst, M/M, alfred is only briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-16 14:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20835101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peony_Prince/pseuds/Peony_Prince
Summary: ‘I’ve never seen you hit the Joker this hard. And you hate him.’Jason shook his head as he prepared to throw a punch. This was not his Batman, this was not Bruce.Jason pulled a gun on the fake Batman before he could he found a batarang in his hand.Jason panicked, it felt too familiar.This was not Bruce.This was not Batman.





	Red Hood no outlaws

**Author's Note:**

> All my headcanons right in this piece. if you ship batcest please please leave.

“Good morning Jay bird”

The door squeaked slightly as it opened into the room. Roy Harper hands occupied with a swaying tray occupied with a half a sliced orange, buttered avocado toast, and candied egg yolks all set on a plain looking plate that was joined by a half full glass of orange juice. 

Roy cursed as he barely tilted the tray back enough to prevent the apple from falling off the plate, it may have made breakfast in bed easier if he placed the flat side down on the plate. Roy moved towards the bed and his heart fluttered back down in between his ribs where it belonged instead of in his throat as he set the tray down on a night stand.

“Jay baby.” Roy placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder.

Jason finally woke up, but for his part he had been through the ringer, or as many people would agree on the bulldozer energized by trauma and destructive coping skills. Jason turned over to appreciate Roy in his corny apron.

Roy scrutinized Jason’s face holding it with his thumb and forefinger he turned Jason’s head. His face fell slightly.

“Wh-a-t?” Jason croaked.

“...Nothing that we aren’t thinking.” Roy said hurriedly. “ You’re patching up better than expected the swelling around your eyes has gone down…”

Jason hummed. 

“If you weren’t you, you’re amazing fantastical and handsome self, you might still be unconscious.” 

Jason cracked a smile and Roy felt in that moment like he was worth more than almost anything in the world.

“You sure know how to stroke a guy's ego”

Roy smiled dreamily and leaned down.

“That's sure not the only thing I know how to - “

“-Jason-”

“-stroke” Roy leaned in and kissed him. Jason melted into butterfly kisses, warm beds, hazy days, and that warm breakfast fumeing inches or miles away on that nightstand in that apartment in Gotham, on that sunless day. 

“-Jason!”

Jason started, his breathing paces faster than it was before moments ago.

“Rr?” Jason called out for Roy, where was Roy? Where was Roy?! The world quickly grew clearer; and a short and angry boy wearing Jason’s old colors was standing where Roy should always be.

“At least you can recognize me. It’s not too bad. You’re awake and you’ll be fine.” What was he talking about?

Robin leaned into his phone “Dad, please I need backup...” 

Jason’s hands snaked up to his neck.

“He tried to go after- Hey stop that” Damian marched beside Jason and smacked his hands away.

They came back bloodied and Jason’s head hit the floor. 

Everything suddenly felt less fuzzy and dark. And there was a very strong feeling on his neck that certainly did not tickle.

“I said you’ll be fine, then you pass out on me.” Oh Damian right.

Jason felt something slightly scratchy around his neck and his hand reached up again before Damian pulled it back down.

“Maybe it's a blessing considering I doubt you would let me bandage your neck without you making it some infuriatingly impossible task.”

Jason filtered Damian out as he started trying to answer what exactly happened, until Damian said something relevant.

“It was completely irresponsible of you to run off galavanting on your own with no back up to kill Bane!”

Oh that’s right. 

All was silent in Wayne Manor. Goons surrounded the old grounds, lurking out of place. Bane stood inside appreciating the way everything exuded airs of extravagance. It was almost peaceful save for the cooling body in the den, the boy that they had tied up in one of the many rooms.

Yes almost all was peaceful save for the cicadas that hummed in the night. There was one in particular that Bane found annoying, then he just found it. The humming came closer and he tensed. When it felt like it couldn’t possibly get louder it did. He started to hear yelling and gunfire all noise climaxing with an expensive sounding crash.

“BANE!”

Banes fingers squeezed the bridge of his nose. He sighed and walked down the stairs.

“Bane!” the gunfire continued as Bane reluctantly walked down the stairs to meet this nuisance.

RedHood stood shooting down Bane’s men as they stood. No one stood a chance as they were mowed down.

Bane paused at the bottom of the stairs as Jason shot the last of Bane’s lackeys. “Are you done yet?”

“Wha- ” Hood turned to face him.

“Talking, talking, talking, I’ll skip to the part where I kill one of you.” Bane’s venom kicked in and the bulging man boulsterd in size.

“This isn’t unoriginal at all.” Jason grabbed his guns. “Especially the part where I kick your ass and you tell me everything I want to know.” 

Jason dove at the man and Bane stumble back surprised. Jason's arms squeezed around his torso and with a strength that should have been impossible Jason quickly lifted him and threw him on the ground.

Bane quickly got up but Jason was quicker to meet him and headbutted him. 

Bane chuckled and before Jason could react Bane’s large hands snuck behind Jason’s skull and attempted to crush his head. Jason's legs kicked out and met the meat of Bane’s stomach.

“Come mierda puta madre!” Jason snarled. And shot wildly a few of them flew into Bane’s torso. The man grunted and bent over but just as quickly straightened and threw Jason into a wall. Bane paused in his assault to pull out darts in his stomach.

“Elephant tranquilizer. Should be enough to take out even you.” Jason Todd stood up shakily.

“ Me sorpresas, Hood. Even the Batman didn’t have the guts or strength to surprise me, i’m almost sad to kill you.”

Jason pulled his knife out and bit back a hard to swallow response and backed up. Bane struggled to meet him until Jason ran forward between Bane’s legs and slid. Suddenly Jason was on Bane’s back hacking at the tubing on Bane’s back severing most of it. Bane backed up into the wall and Jason was crushed in between a rock and a hard place. Bane pressed back harder the more Jason struggled. They both felt their strength sapping, Bane panted as he pushed back his body exerted and shaking from withdrawal already Jason's arms still went wild stabbing at Bane’s back and pushing back. Bane wined and grimaced as he found the last of his strength to pull back and ram into Jason. Jason gasped and went limp knife slipping out of his hand. Bane shuddered and he slid down the wall exhausted but exhilarated. He rarely ever had a fair fight, fights like those when he could enjoy battling an opponent were rare.

Something suddenly shot out from behind Bane. Two legs wrapped around his throat and spurred Bane to attempt to stand. He managed to get halfway up before the legs around his neck squeezed too tightly to continue. Bane kneeled on the ground as Jason conquered him. Jason’s arms squeezed around Bane’s neck, his helmet cracked in half. 

“Alright listen up mother fucker,” He pulled a gun up to Banes head, gasping and laughing maniacally a little as he did so. “You are gonna tell me who told you about Batman, and where is that butler.” Jason paused “Slap your hand on the ground if you’re going to play nice… Say uncle.” 

Bane for a moment did not move until Jason’s limbs squeezed vice like around his trachea.  
“GOT IT?” Bane responded with a slapping of his hand, “good…” Jason’s legs released a little.

“Thomas!” Bane cried out.

Jason cried out as he felt something burn into his cheek his hand flew up to his face before Batman kicked him off Bane.

“Ba- Batman?” Jason said shakily.

The burly figure said nothing just threw the fire poker in his hands off to the side. He said nothing and Jason was unsteadied by an unforgiving flashback. 

‘I’ve never seen you hit the Joker this hard. And you hate him.’

Jason shook his head as he prepared to throw a punch. This was not his Batman, this was not Bruce. 

Jason pulled a gun on the fake Batman before he could he found a batarang in his hand.

Jason panicked, it felt too familiar.

This was not Bruce.

This was not Batman.

The world suddenly began to turn on its head, it was only just Jason and the fake Batman.

“Another Bat in Gotham…you are all a hard headed lot aren't you… Don’t know how to listen. And another one of you is going to pay the price.”

Jason snapped out of it.

This was not his Bruce… This was not his Batman.

“What?”

“I’m going to kill you. I’m going to keep killing you till you Bats get the message.”

Jason paled, “the butler?”

Batman paused, “I said I was going to kill him…”

Jason almost fell right then and there but something built up in his chest. Jason’s pupils dilated and his irises glowed in the dark with the spattering flames in the fireplace. He stood up and took out another knife.

“You gonna hurt me with that toothpick.”

“...No…” Jason stood tall and feral. “I’m gonna kill you with this toothpick” he spat. 

The fake Batman’s mouth curled in a smile and he charged forward. Jason slashed up and Batman grabbed Jason’s arms and brought it down on his leg. He paused surprised when it didn’t snap and for his mistake was kicked backward a few feet before regaining footing. Jason started up a barrage of punches and kicks. It was hard to pick out, but Thomas could see his son in the way Jason fought. 

And right there a weakness just for a moment that Thomas knew all too well. His hand launched up into Jason’s neck. A batarang glinting ominously out of Jason’s neck. His body shook and swayed. 

“It’s either him or me Bruce! You have to choose, him or me” Jason held the trigger next to Joker’s head. His hand stiff and steady, absolutely not wavering. 

Bruce’s Jaw set stiffly, and turned. He turned away regarding Jason, with no more importance than a child who’s hand for a moment lost their balloon string. 

This was important this was what the last 3 years had led up to. To Jason finally being important again to his own father, to address Jason about that rabid mad man who took a crowbar to each of his joints twice and blew him up.

Jason felt all this in the span of a moment, and his face fell as his finger tightened on the trigger. 

“Even when you win, We all lose”

Jason barely had time to wonder what the clown was talking about with his neck unzipped cleaved apart by something. 

He gasped and curled backward unsteady. The clown hit the floor cackling neurotically. His hand flew up to his neck and his shaking fingers brushed the cold metal jutting from his neck. His thumb pressed down on the trigger as he dropped.

“Jason come on buddy.” It was dark, Jason was getting dragged by a dull flame. “You’ll be fine you idiot.”

A batarang glinting ominously out of Jason’s neck. His body shook and swayed but he did not fall, he did not waver. 

Jason's eyes shined bright and inhumane staring into Thomas’s own cold gaze. Jason smiled maniacally as he summoned the All Blades. Batman stiffened and Jason charged him. Batman tried to block the blades with his arm braces only to feel nothing. Jason decked Thomas in his face and kicked him in the stomach. Thomas grabbed Jason’s foot and twisted. Jason hit the ground Batman jumped, and the force of a tank cracked down on Jason’s spine and a knife broke through the muscle above the Fake’s ankle. Jason pulled Batman’s leg making him lose his balance and fall toward the ground. Jason brought his knife above Thomas and drove it down. 

A shot rang out and Jason dropped like a rock. Jason’s eyes were half lidded and the Lazurus glow had faded and ebbed by the time he laid eyes on the one who had shot him. Jason had to have been dreaming, one of those middle of the night dreams that left his gut’s constricted and twisting, the dreams of Batman, The Joker, a warehouse, a pit, or a grave. Yes it certainly had to be one of those nightmarish dream horrors. 

The red masked figure walked over to Jason and with one harsh kick Jason fell into unconsciousness. 

-”Roy Harper is dead.” Bruce said it cooly, cooly like Jason’s cooling body at the manor. 

Jason let silence fill the space between them. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to Bruce. But learning that the guy who saved you twice, a best friend, was dead was a lot to take in, especially considering that friend should have been recuperating at rehab.

Bruce filled the brief silence. “I’m sorry Jason”

“I just… Last week… How?” Jason’s voice was steady as he fought back against the tremble in his voice. 

“It was a place called sanctuary”

“Rehab for capes. He called it.” Jason couldn’t help but remember the morning Roy had left. The way Roy said he wanted to talk to Jason about something, the way Jason’s pulse had skyrocketed, the way his heart hummed with excitement as he ran his finger across the wooden box in his pocket, and how it fell slightly when Roy said he was going to rehab. He wasn’t sad that Roy was going to rehab, he was very happy, very proud of his friend. He had walked over to Roy smiled genuinely and hugged him. It was a new start a new beginning, and then Roy left…

Jason snapped back to reality as Bruce spoke.“No one knows who or why. A lot of people died. And I won’t rest until I find those responsible.” Bruce’s gaze was cool and heavy, his brow wrinkled slightly as if stressed. Bruce’s face almost furrowed into a mirror of worry. But Jason knew better as he scrutinized his father’s gaze disernably. He had to be worried about another Penguin incident. 

Jason shook himself out of his stupor.

“That’s uh, that’s a lot of people looking for revenge. Don’t need to add me in the mix.”

“I agree…”Bruce looked away, and Jason didn’t miss the way the tension in his shoulders didn’t go away, even if Jason had meant it. 

-“Alfred says it’s important to let out your feelings” Bruce’s voice cut through the silence.

Jason stopped the downward spiral into his thoughts and almost smiled if Bruce hadn’t been such an obtuse piece of shit. “Seriously grief counselling from the guy who dresses as a bat?” Jason licked his cracked lips and his voice was as dry as a board. 

Suddenly it was very hard to swallow, to swallow down his grief and panic. Panic that Brice suspected that Roy was something else entirely. 

“Look Bruce, Death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a person. Trust me. You died. Damian died. Death is a revolving door in our business… Am I going to miss him? Absolutely! But everyone who has ever put on a mask is living on borrowed time… He’d be pissed if I spent the life I have left moping over him.”

Jason suddenly wanted to leave and the diner was spiraling. It was spinning and shaking sputtering like a broken down motor. 

Thankfully Bruce didn’t say a word and put down far too much money for a cup of coffee Jason had previously been enjoying and walked out. Jason followed behind like a dog whos tail was tucked between his legs, Jason followed Bruce like he used to when he was young, dumb, and bold, when he was Robin.

Actually he was still young, dumb, and bold with a flare for dramaticsm. 

Bruce cut through the night sky “Can I drop you somewhere?”

Jason was incredibly tempted to deny him, so he did. “No, I'm fine. I need some fresh air,” He started to walk away, “But thanks anyways, for telling me yourself. I know that wasn’t easy for you, hating me and all…”

“I don’t hate you Jason I never hated you…-” Bruce’s response stopped Jason in his tracks and turned him around, -”Not once. Not for a moment. Do I think you need an occasional kick in the ass? I don’t deny it…- “

-‘I’ve never seen you hit the Joker this hard. And you hate him.-' 

“-But at the end of the day I’ve got your 6 and I know you’ve got mine.”

Bruce’s arms opened in a hug, and maybe it was because his best friend died, maybe it was that nigging maschistic tendencie at the back of his head, a need to get swallowed up by the man that he hated and feared and in the same breath respected and revered, but Jason made up the distance with his paces the knot in his throat tightening until he wanted to pass out and hugged Bruce. 

All Jason could think was that at any moment Bruce’s hands wrapped around his shoulders would snake around to Jason’s neck and finish that dance Bruce and Jason had started on that rooftop. The dance where Jason pulled all punches and Bruce did not, the dance where Jason let his body get broken and Bruce would break. 

Whether it was because Roy was dead or whether Jason wanted to hug his own demise Jason welcomed it and leaned into Bruce’s hug as the hands around his shoulder began to pull him into the darkness, into the mirror of his death.

Jason came to with a start. He was sweating and shaking, cold yet feaverish. Damian’s hand was on his neck and there was a sickeningly familiar iron taste in the back of his throat.

Jason remembered making the trek to the Bat cave hoping it was all false, that Alfred wasn’t dead, that Roy wasn’t dead, that Artemis and Bizzaro weren’t gone, but when he looked at Damian who had always seemed so unbreakable with his red rimmed eyes lip down turned eye’s down not meeting his but glued to the frozen man infront of him everything keeping Jason standing was ripped from beneath him. His bloodied hand hit the palm reader and he couldn't help but hope Bruce or Bane hadn’t wiped his permissions from the Bat Cave’s database.

Jason dimly was aware of Damian frantically shouting into Jason’s own comms asking for someone to help him. Only for his lips to sneer in frusteration and to throw the comms down. 

Jason knew it was pointless everyone on his comms was dead or gone now. Jason tried to speak only to gurgle something incomprehensible before he gave up and signed.

“No.one.on.coms”

“Then I'll call an ambulance.”

“Do. it. Get. Me. Upstairs.” As much as Jason wanted to lie down and get snuffed out in peace he couldn’t be that selfish to have another family member die in front of Damian. Jason leaned heavily on Damian as he shakily made his way up the stairs. Somehow through all the effort Jason and Damian made it to the door while Damian talked to the operators. He slumped onto the grass and Damian dropped his phone to catch him.

“Todd?”

Jason hummed weakly, his breaths were shallow and fast paced and sounded absolutely horrible. 

“You’ll be okay…”

Jason huffed silently his shoulders shook as laughter didn’t sound in the now peaceful night. He could hear the cicadas singing.

“Yeah. Kid. I’ll. Be. Fine.” His hands trembled with the effort. “Why?”

Damian’s attention was fully on him.  
“Why. What?”

“I. thought. We. were. Cool. before. You. attacked. Me “ 

Damian stiffened “You tried to kill Penguin.”

Jason stared blankly at Damian.

“Is. that. All? Be. Honest.”

“Yes its-,” Damian stopped. “-it's complicated. We are both my mother’s children, we both… Killed people. We are both alike, yet different. I like you Todd, you’re my brother… Do you remember me? At all? How close we were before you remembered again?”

Jason tried to remember the world Damian was describing. And all he could remember was seeing a broken boy just like Damian asking the same things. 

Jason signed no.

Damian sighed, “I had to hate you after you left, and I had to keep hating you. Because you remind me of how I am and how I used to be. Damian’s fingers ran through Jason’s hair and he leaned into it. Jason’s breaths came shorter than they were, and that horrible gurgling had turned into a wheeze. Jason couldn’t bring his hand up into a sign if he wanted to.

Damian continued speaking, then there was Alfred. And Jason was suddenly shorter than him again

“ I thought that if I-”

They were baking. In the kitchen, It was a cake for Dick’s birthday. 

“-Distanced myself from you-”

Jason got cake batter on his nose and all over his arms. Alfred smiled as he wiped it off and pet Jason’s hair.

“Then I could feel differently about myself. That I wasn’t you.-”

‘-Wait a minute-,’ something began to prickle at the base of Jason’s 

“-that father would never hurt me-”

Jason could see what Damian was talking about.

“-in doing so, I became like father…”

Jason could see a little toddler on his thigh relaxed as Jason absentmindedly ran his fingers through the child’s black hair… Through Damian’s hair. Suddenly it was much more difficult to concentrate on what Damian was saying.

“And I’m sorry Todd, you’re my brother and I love you.”

If only he could tell Damian he remembered Jason thought as he was carried away by the cicada’s song.

“Todd?” Damian, who was suddenly highly aware of the stillness under his hand on Jason's throat, glanced down. Jason stared at nothing, his pupils were blown open under half lidded eyes. Jason’s chest shuddered once before it exhaled a final time. Damian pulled Todd’s head up to his chest and sobbed. 

Maybe it was the arrival of the Emts but, Damian stopped for a moment and noticed a mysterious gold helmet glinting in the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> this hasn't been beta'd so if you see anything let me know. 
> 
> I dont know if im continuing this,


End file.
